Encyclopedia or Kaleidoscope? When Private Philosophy Chambers Go Public

Date:

Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Location:

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street

In this lecture, James Delbourgo, associate professor of the history of science and the Atlantic World at Rutgers University, reflects on the restaging of Harvard’s Philosophy Chamber and asks what kind of museological value lies in undoing the specialization of knowledge to return to the universal: does it reconstitute an enlightened encyclopedism or ignite a chain reaction of kaleidoscopic juxtapositions? Given the apparent contrast between secretive early modern universalism and the public character of modern specialized knowledge, what does it mean to restage private philosophy chambers for public audiences in 2017?